New ads urge hard rules for young drivers

A new advertising blitz is getting underway that urges parents to hold a hard line on young drivers.

Many parents struggle with the job of teaching their sons and daughters to drive, hoping to help them be more independent but also worrying about their safety.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released a new public service announcement that urges tough talk about the rules of driving a car. The PSA makes the point that parents have been telling children to slow down and be careful since before they could walk, so there's no point to stop those warnings when they get behind the wheel.

"The parent is the only one who is there from the time a teen learns to drive all the way through to independent driving," said Dr. Flaura Winston of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "If your teen isn't ready, hold back on getting a license. If your teen doesn't drive well or isn't following the rules, get extra help and keep those keys. Don't give them those keys. Your teen's life and the lives of other people in the vehicle and on the road are at stake."

The campaign also stresses what it calls the five big rules of the road: No cellphones, no extra passengers, no speeding, buckling up and no alcohol.

"We have to make sure that (parents) make it clear to their children that these behaviors are deadly, dangerous, illegal and wholly unacceptable," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "The problem is that this discussion isn't happening yet. Only 25 percent of parents in a recent survey reported discussing driving safety with a young driver in their family."

Kat Kanoff of Shawnee just got her license a couple of months ago. While it has restrictions, it still gives her a measure of freedom.

"It's been great because I get to drive myself to work and to school and things like that," she said. "And I didn't have that before."

Her mother, Lan Win Kanoff, said it's always unnerving to see one of her children drive. Kat is her third and youngest child to get a license.

She said she has firm rules for her children: They have to tell their mother where they're going and when they expect to be back. And they'd better not be using their cellphone in the car.